Official UK procurement notice
FWK4004 - Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) Independent Investigators
Authority: Corporate Officer of the House of Commons (Central government)·Consortium: 2 public authorities
What is being bought3 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionThe Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) assesses/carries out investigations into cases of bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct across the Houses of Parliament. The Authority are seeking Independent Investigators to join a framework of suppliers who will be assigned to assess and investigate complaints of misconduct.
The framework will run for a maximum of eight years.
The Authority will re-open the framework after 2 years and will re-open the framework again in years 4 and 6. The Authority may, in its absolute discretion, reopen the framework every 12 months from year 3. The Open Framework will expire on 28/03/2035.
There will be a single Lot on this framework which will cover all areas of investigation.
Due to the overlapping nature and skill set required to undertake the services (in the different complaint areas) it was not considered appropriate to separate into lots.
- How the procedure runs: The contracting authority intends to establish an internal Open Framework of 20 independent ICGS investigators using the Competitive Flexible Procedure under the Procurement Act 2023. The procurement will be conducted using a three-stage process. Following publication of the tender documents, Stage 1 will involve an assessment of bidders’ responses to mandatory conditions of participation questions (PSQ). These responses will be evaluated in order to shortlist bidders with the most relevant experience and capability to deliver independent investigation services. The 40 highest scoring bidders from Stage 1 will be invited to progress to Stage 2. At Stage 2, these shortlisted bidders will be required to submit a full tender application. The Stage 2 evaluation will assess bidders’ responses to quality questions relevant to the provision of investigation services, and will also include practical assessment exercises designed to test applied investigative skills. Following evaluation of the Stage 2 responses, the 30 highest scoring bidders will be invited to Stage 3 entailing an interview with a panel of ICGS staff. The 20 highest scoring bidders will be awarded a place on the framework. Full details of the procurement process, evaluation criteria, scoring methodology, and weightings are set out in the Tender documents.
CPV: Investigation services
How this framework works
From the published notice- Type
- Closed framework · open framework scheme (admission reopens)
- Call-offs
- call-offs are awarded directly to appointed suppliers, without further competition
- Places
- up to 20 suppliers
- Framework period
- 8 yrs from 29 Mar 2027
- Scheme runs until
- 28 Mar 2035
- Supplier levy on call-offs (max %)
- NA
Published description of the framework
The framework will run for a maximum of eight years.
The Authority will re-open the framework after 2 years and will re-open the framework again in years 4 and 6. The Authority may, in its absolute discretion, reopen the framework every 12 months from year 3. The Open Framework will expire on 28/03/2035.
Lots and requirements (3)Procurement structure
3 lots · all with a published value · a supplier may bid for at most 1 and win at most 1 of them · same conditions of participation on every lot · same evaluation weights on every lotEvery one of these 3 lots carries the same published figure, £2,761,650: it is the framework's maximum for the whole notice, not each lot's own budget, and no share per lot is published. The cards below say ceiling above rather than repeat it.
Lot #1Bullying, Harassment and Sexual MisconductCancelledceiling above
Investigations entailing Bullying, Harassment and Sexual Misconduct cases
- Economic & financial standing
Successful DnB score for companies, insolvency register for sole traders.
Lot #2Bullying, Harassment and Sexual Misconduct.2Cancelledceiling above
Investigations entailing Bullying, Harassment and Sexual Misconduct cases.2
- Economic & financial standing
Successful DnB score for companies, insolvency register for sole traders.
Lot #3Bullying, Harassment and Sexual Misconduct.3Cancelledceiling above
Investigations into Bullying, Harassment and Sexual Misconduct.3
- Economic & financial standing
Successful DnB score for companies, insolvency register for sole traders.
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Published award criteria (1)
- Quality: Stage 2: Written responses, practical exercises Stage 3: Interviews
- Economic & financial standing
Successful DnB score for companies, insolvency register for sole traders.
- “FWK4004 - Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS)…” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, up to 20 suppliers, not a single contract, and call-offs are awarded directly: getting appointed is the whole game.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Cancelled
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Open framework scheme
- Who may use this agreement
- Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 21 Jan 2026, 15:55 GMT
- Last source update
- 27 Aug 2026, 15:27 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 4 Dec 2026
- Authority reference
FWK4004- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-055884- Accelerated
- Qualifying planned procurement notice
- Latest notice
- Procurement termination notice (UK12)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-060b7cFind a Tender
- How it runs
The contracting authority intends to establish an internal Open Framework of 20 independent ICGS investigators using the Competitive Flexible Procedure under the Procurement Act 2023.
The procurement will be conducted using a three-stage process. Following publication of the tender documents, Stage 1 will involve an assessment of bidders’ responses to mandatory conditions of participation questions (PSQ). These responses will be evaluated in order to shortlist bidders with the most relevant experience and capability to deliver independent investigation services.
The 40 highest scoring bidders from Stage 1 will be invited to progress to Stage 2. At Stage 2, these shortlisted bidders will be required to submit a full tender application.
The Stage 2 evaluation will assess bidders’ responses to quality questions relevant to the provision of investigation services, and will also include practical assessment exercises designed to test applied investigative skills.
Following evaluation of the Stage 2 responses, the 30 highest scoring bidders will be invited to Stage 3 entailing an interview with a panel of ICGS staff.
The 20 highest scoring bidders will be awarded a place on the framework.
Full details of the procurement process, evaluation criteria, scoring methodology, and weightings are set out in the Tender documents.
- Risks
The estimated value of the framework has been calculated to include a discretionary 2.5% increase from year 3 onwards.
How it was run
Official notice- Requests to participate (first stage)
- 7 Jul 2026, 12:00 BST
- Appointment period ends
- 7 Jul 2026, 12:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 7 Jul 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
- Supplier levy on call-offs (max %)
- call-off levy · NA
The Tender Notice will be published via Contracts Finder and Find a Tender Service. Tender documents will be available for download via the Atamis portal, linked below.
Suppliers wishing to participate should register on the Atamis portal in advance of the publication date.
Any registration issues should be directed towards Atamis support.
Timeline
21 Jan 2026 → 29 Mar 2027 · 8 dates- Planning notice published274 days ago21 Jan 2026, 15:55 GMT
- Next notice expected213 days ago23 Mar 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Tender notice published132 days ago12 Jun 2026, 16:21 BST
- Clarification questions by107 days ago7 Jul 2026, 12:00 BST
- Admission / appointment period ends107 days ago · period end, not a bid countdown7 Jul 2026, 12:00 BST
- Latest notice published56 days ago27 Aug 2026, 15:27 BST
- Today22 Oct 2026
- Award decision expected byin 43 days4 Dec 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 157 days29 Mar 2027, 00:00 BST
Notice history
7 events · 4 releases on Find a Tender · since 21 Jan 2026- Planned procurement notice published21 Jan 2026, 15:55 GMTUK3
- Planned procurement notice published5 Mar 2026, 10:28 GMTUK3
- Tender notice published12 Jun 2026, 16:21 BSTUK4
- Published value updated to £2,761,65012 Jun 2026, 16:21 BSTwas £2,584,000
- Status changed to active12 Jun 2026, 16:21 BST
- Procurement termination notice published27 Aug 2026, 15:27 BSTUK12
- Status changed to cancelled27 Aug 2026, 15:27 BST
Published amendments (1)
Publication delay.
Routine re-releases (4)
- 2026-01: 1 release · 21 Jan 2026
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Across several lots1 award | |||
| supplier not published | — | 27 Aug 2026 | CancelledFollowing a review, the Authority has identified inconsistencies in the evaluation process and has decided not to proceed with the current competition, and award of the contract. |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
2 public bodies on the noticeConsortium members and other public bodies
- Corporate Officer of the House of LordsContracting authorityPublic authority - central government
Official documents & specifications (4)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Procurement termination notice Procurement termination notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Planned procurement notice Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender
- Planned procurement notice Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender